Patricia Lopez

Patricia Lopez has more than 30 years working as a reporter, editor and editorial writer in newspapers from California to Virginia. Originally from Chicago, Patricia has called Minnesota home since the early 1990s, and while here has specialized in politics. She started at the Star Tribune in 1992 covering Minneapolis City Hall, moved to the state Capitol bureau, where she covered every major political figure and event in the state, from the late Sen. Paul Wellstone to Gov. Jesse Ventura and several government shutdowns. She became chief political writer and in 2009 political editor, supervising the Star Tribune's statehouse and Washington D.C. bureaus. Patricia joined the editorial board in 2015, concentrating on national politics, Congress and a broad range of other topics. She can be heard on the Star Tribune's weekly Playing Politics podcast, done in conjunction with WCCO-AM and is active on social media.

Speaking at the state party's convention, the governor said people deserve leaders "who are hopeful, optimistic, decent" and called upon Republicans to provide that leadership. Beforehand, he again demurred on talk of his vice presidential prospects.

Working to a truly bitter end, the Minnesota Legislature adjourned at midnight Monday, following a final gesture of defiance toward Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as the DFL-led House and Senate passed a massive $2.7 billion bill that would wipe out the state's deficit through a $1 billion tax increase and a one-time shift.

A DFL effort to override the governor's line-item veto of $381 million in 2010 funding for the program for childless adults fell three votes short tonight. Meanwhile, Monday's deadline for legislative adjournment is looming.

In a closed-door meeting with top legislators on Saturday morning, Gov. Tim Pawlenty offered to slice another $1.2 billion from the state spending and adopt a $1.8 billion accounting shift proposed by the House as a way to close the state's budget gap and end the session on time.

In what he said was "the spirit of compromise," Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Monday put out his own alternative to a $1 billion tax increase he's vetoed that would balance the state's budget and close out the session.

As the May 18 adjournment of an exceptionally tense, high-stakes session looms, the DFLers who control the Minnesota House and Senate will try this week to mount a counteroffensive against the governor.

The Coleman and Franken campaigns traded shots Monday as counties completed the process of certifying their vote tallies and officials prepared to start recounting nearly 3 million ballots in the U.S. Senate race.

With 100 percent of the 4,130 precincts reporting, Sen. Norm Coleman had an unofficial margin of several hundred votes out of nearly 2.9 million cast. Challenger Al Franken said this morning he would exercise his right to a recount.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken had harsh words for the economic rescue bill that passed the Senate on Wednesday night, calling it a "sacrifice at the altar of financial mismanagement" and a "terrible end to a terrible presidency."